Michael Kenna

 Michael Kenna is widely known for his black and white landscapes shot that were done at night. The exposures of these photos took around 10 hours to fully develop. He preferred to take pictures at night, and in harsher conditions, I believe to challenge himself and to stand out more than other photographers. He might have wanted to take landscape shots because he appreciated nature, and the spaces around us. The landscapes shots he took also incorporate animals, trees in a space that capture the beauty of the place, or the views from places. 

When I choose to take photos of the landscape or the sunset, it is mainly because the space looks pretty enough for me to want to look back and appreciate how it looked. The way Kenna composes his images make them aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The slow shutter speed add a sense of time to the images instead of having them sharp. It makes them feel like it was captured in a foggy dream-like place. I really enjoyed this effect on his photos because it makes it that much more of an interesting photograph. 

Berries and Falling Snow, Furano, Hokkaido, Japan 2004

(https://www.jacksonfineart.com/michael-kenna/berries-and-falling-snow/)

This photograph was one of my favorite of his collection. I appreciate the different views from the different places around the world. It was nice to know more about how these landscapes looked like, and it makes me want to go and explore these places as well to see the places in person. The tree looks like it is floating in the air because of the lack of details the snow has. In contrast the darker parts of the photo, like the tree have more details on it and the mountains in the back. The way the tree was composed on the side gives a better view of the tree rather than having it in the center. The photograph becomes complete with the lines of the background that connect to the tree. I know this is a photo but it kind of looks like a drawing or painting from the old art forms Japan used to have when they drew landscapes. The meaning I can think of from this photograph is that despite the harsh conditions someone is in, you can still survive them and stand strong like the tree. 

Work Cited:

Kenna, Michael. “Michael Kenna, Berries and Falling Snow, Furano, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004 - Artwork 29626.” Jackson Fine Art, 1 Jan. 1970, www.jacksonfineart.com/michael-kenna/berries-and-falling-snow/.